Sudanese Ex-Slave to Speak at Northeastern University (Press Release)

Sudanese Ex-Slave to Speak at Northeastern University

Slave-turned-author who spent 10 years in bondage will tell listeners slavery isn't history

BOSTON — Escaped Sudanese slave Francis Bok will share with listeners how he survived 10 years in bondage to become an activist with the American Anti-Slavery Group on Friday, February 25.

Bok's presentation, "Speaking Out With Image," will begin at 7:00 p.m. at 444 Curry Student Center, 360 Huntington Avenue, and will be accompanied by a photo presentation, displaying photographs from Sudan. The event will be followed by a book signing at 8:00 p.m., where Francis will sign copies of his book, Escape From Slavery at Sacred Space in Ell Hall, connected to the Student Center. The event is being hosted by the International Affairs Society.

Almost 140 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, there remain 27 million slaves worldwide, according to the International Labor Organization. Modern-day slavery is defined as "forced labor, with no pay, under the threat of violence."

Bok now devotes his time to promoting awareness of contemporary slavery, "I am no longer another man's property, but I still fight for the liberation of others. What good is my freedom if my brothers and sisters around the world are still enslaved?"

In 1986, Francis Bok was abducted at age seven during an Arab slave raid on his village in southern Sudan. Bok saw adults and children brutalized and killed all around him. Strapped to a donkey and taken north, for ten years Bok lived as a slave to a northern Sudanese family. He slept next to the cattle he was forced to tend, endured regular beatings, and ate rotten food.

Since his escape, he has dedicated his life to speaking out on behalf of those who are still in bondage. He has spoken on college campuses across the country, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, been profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition", and even met with President Bush. His autobiography, Escape from Slavery, was released by St. Martin's Press and recently won the Suze Orman Award for Best New Author.

The American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) is America's leading human rights group dedicated to abolishing modern-day slavery worldwide. Since its founding in 1994, the American Anti-Slavery Group has helped free over 80,000 slaves, spotlighted and defended the work of local abolitionist activists worldwide, brought modern-day slavery into the international agenda, and launched an anti-slavery web portal that updates and mobilizes 45,000 activists each month.

To schedule an interview with Francis Bok, contact Liora Kasten at (617) 426-8161.